Duncan went for a good run before breakfast. Then we went for a walk to Kuto sussing out other places to eat at and walk to. The torch I packed (hint on internet) may prove useful. We investigated getting a rental car.
By eleven o’clock we had signed up for our rental car.
First stop at Vao, where we finally found the ATM and the shop (sort of in someone’s front room). No beer as it is not sold to the Kanaks – Ile des Pins is dry except for the resorts and gites (guest houses) – but we buy cheese, ham paste, tuna, crackers and iced tea. Next stop is at the Bay of Joseph where we see outrigger canoes ready for use.
Then we drive inland through lush vegetation liberally dotted with Pine trees.
It is a short walk to Grotte de La Reine Hortense. This is where Queen Hortense rested or hid (both stories are told) when she ruled the island in the 1880’s. A large bush clad cave opening with rocks as stalactites hanging down and a pure stream following through it. The area is beautifully kept with wild flowers and plantings tidied up, and this was the highlight of our day.
Gadji is the most northern point with soft muddy sand on its small beaches. We have some lunch here.
Now down the western side of the island. We take a side road down to another bay. It has potholes up to a foot deep, but we also see the roading machines here and a bulldozer and a truck of gravel, just off the barge I would say, on its way as we head home. The beach at the end of this road is very pretty, and I make use of a small toilet – no toilet paper, just a bidet hose. Worked for me! Very refreshing if a little damp.
The next stop was in the area where the French Convicts were deported to from Paris after defying the order to surrender to the Prussians (I knew there was some point to me learning about the Franco Prussian Wars in History!). There is a melancholic letter from one convict roughly translated – “Here I am in Paradise, but what is it worth when I am separated from my family?” It is very moving.
The convent and the gaol are very overgrown, but the Water Tower is still functional and the cemetery is well te
nded – only 2 out of the 240 graves have names. The others have been lost.
We drive back through Kuto where there is a boulangerie and a bakehouse. On round passed the wharf, filled up with petrol and returned to the hotel. I had a little nap, while Duncan did a sudoku and went and did some snorkelling, but the sunshine was patchy so it wasn’t all that warm so I didn’t. We went for drinks at the outdoor bar, but a cool wind drives us back to our Fare (like Fale – our separate unit) and catch up on the News of the World before going to dinner. Dinner was not the greatest – Duncan citing the taro and coconut as the worst offender. We are told the boat will be bringing fresh supplies tomorrow.
We have discovered that we have a pesky lizard in the airconditioner. Let’s hope we get some sleep tonight.
It is a short walk to Grotte de La Reine Hortense. This is where Queen Hortense rested or hid (both stories are told) when she ruled the island in the 1880’s. A large bush clad cave opening with rocks as stalactites hanging down and a pure stream following through it. The area is beautifully kept with wild flowers and plantings tidied up, and this was the highlight of our day.
Gadji is the most northern point with soft muddy sand on its small beaches. We have some lunch here.
Now down the western side of the island. We take a side road down to another bay. It has potholes up to a foot deep, but we also see the roading machines here and a bulldozer and a truck of gravel, just off the barge I would say, on its way as we head home. The beach at the end of this road is very pretty, and I make use of a small toilet – no toilet paper, just a bidet hose. Worked for me! Very refreshing if a little damp.
The next stop was in the area where the French Convicts were deported to from Paris after defying the order to surrender to the Prussians (I knew there was some point to me learning about the Franco Prussian Wars in History!). There is a melancholic letter from one convict roughly translated – “Here I am in Paradise, but what is it worth when I am separated from my family?” It is very moving.
The convent and the gaol are very overgrown, but the Water Tower is still functional and the cemetery is well te
nded – only 2 out of the 240 graves have names. The others have been lost.We drive back through Kuto where there is a boulangerie and a bakehouse. On round passed the wharf, filled up with petrol and returned to the hotel. I had a little nap, while Duncan did a sudoku and went and did some snorkelling, but the sunshine was patchy so it wasn’t all that warm so I didn’t. We went for drinks at the outdoor bar, but a cool wind drives us back to our Fare (like Fale – our separate unit) and catch up on the News of the World before going to dinner. Dinner was not the greatest – Duncan citing the taro and coconut as the worst offender. We are told the boat will be bringing fresh supplies tomorrow.
We have discovered that we have a pesky lizard in the airconditioner. Let’s hope we get some sleep tonight.
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